June Sarpong takes time to discuss Shades of Beauty with us

One of the most recognisable faces on British TV, June Sarpong has strong Ghanaian heritage and was delighted to be the public lead for Superdrug’s Shades of Beauty campaign. If you regularly shop at Superdrug, you may have already noticed a wider choice of products, all due to their new campaign, which aims to make black and Asian skin and hair products more accessible and affordable on the high street. It’s been a long time in coming for the high street to cater for women of colour and now that the penny has finally dropped, we caught up with June to understand her passion for the campaign. 

Originally founded in 1964, Superdrug became part of the AS Watson group of companies 14 years ago with huge combined revenues in excess of $1 billion. The company is committed to growth and aims to have over 1,000 stores open before the end of 2017. Head of Beauty, Meg Potter, has been driving Shades of Beauty and wants to stock the range in as many Superdrug branches as possible. You will now find over 100 products that cater for black and Asian skin and hair in 140 stores and online.

“It’s a missed opportunity. It’s shocking that it’s taken this long for a leading high street brand to realise how many women of colour there are in this country – and that they like wearing make up… when Superdrug approached me, immediately I said yes”

TV presenter June Sarpong is the official Shades of Beauty Ambassador and is helping Superdrug raise awareness of the Shades of Beauty journey with the aim of making a real step change for women of colour in the UK.

June is also a panelist on ITV’s Loose Women, one of the most popular shows in the UK and she knows what it’s like to grow up in 1980’s London as the daughter of Ghanaian parents, when only a handful of specialist stores would have carried products designed for women of colour.

Africa Fashion caught up with June to find out more about Superdrug’s #ShadesOfBeauty campaign – here’s June’s take:

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It’s great to see Superdrug pushing forward with this initiative – let’s hope that other large chains are inspired by June.
Here are some of the hair products that you’ll find in store (Swiss Cottage branch)